Archive for July, 2005
National day is just round the corner, and want to give Singapore my wishes for its 40th birthday. like the singapore i dream of. something i have seldom talked about for fear of being ridiculed, ostracised, or even killed…ha ha. get ready .. the Singapore i dream of is one reunited to Malaysia!! i have had this view since 1980’s and see no reason for a change in opinion., here are some reasons why i think its for the good of all:
1. our economy will be better off; more stable n less tossed to n fro by external factors.
2. the cost of living will go down: cheaper water, vehicles, properties n homes, basic food items, health and education.
3. huge hinterland and domestic market with all its advantages.
4. no more insecurity about being a tiny red dot.
5. multi party politics and therefore a check and balance in the parliament and more thought through n balanced passage of policies, laws etc.
6. complementary strengths of singapore n Malaysia employed to compete with the rest especially the giant economies of China n India.
7. we belong together: geographically and naturally and historically
8. better for the spread of Christianity
9. the Malaysia cup will be back
10. better for tourism as destination is marketed as a whole.
Of course there would be problems to iron out. But we will never reach the peak if we don’t think of ways to overcome the cold and other hindrances to scaling the mountain. Problems of language, politics, race, reserves, law and order, different culture, control and vested interestss. If Hong Kong and Germany possible why not singapore n Malaysia?
THIS IS THE SINGAPORE I DREAM OF FOR ME N MY GOD N MY CHILDREN N CHILDREN’S CHILDREN. any comments?
July 28th, 2005
Tis weekend has been pretty fruitful, productive. At nat’s cell my third visit saw some progress in Joyce’s discussion leading skills as i provide some close n specific coaching. She is gung-ho, dares to try, willing to learn and can develop well with more practice. saturday i shuttled between two meetings: the young adults where i spoke, and the Christian Beginnings course where i had to provide coaching for Alvin Lim.
i also had a productive meeting with Abe on Friday. we talked about how we need to see the vision percolate through the leaders to everyone n this means deliberate, intentional and constant communication of why we are doing what we are doing, n where everybody’s role contribute to the whole. Abe is a pragmatic, hands -on, and effective leader with lots of experience in church work n lots of respect from others. if we had MVP awards annually for lay leaders he would probably have a few in his cabinet, if he keeps them (but he doesn’t care much for such accolades). So he and i are focussed on developing leaders amongst the young emerging leaders in their 20s. in fact we just met yesterday. Spaghetti at 2 plus at my home. relaxed banter over the table followed by discussion about 10 things that effective leaders do. quite a useful session( well, at least it helped me) where we shared our weak areas of leadership skills (confidential!) and what we want to work on. i concentrate on spiritual formation,….the ‘ be-ing’ part of leadership, while Abe focuses on the ‘ do-ing’ part. this Mentoring Emerging Leaders (M.E.L.) group is gradually taking shape n form. i am hopeful we will, with God’s help, pass the baton to the next generation.
however i was feeling quite good about the service n the MEL until i received news at night that Jorris has to go for another biopsy. It just makes you cry out, O Lord ,….. again…?!! how come she has to go through so much? lifted her up to the Lord whose love and power is worthy of our trust. Father we do not understand why this is so, but we trust you to work out all things for good.
New word i coined: BLOGGERCESSSOR: n someone who reads blogs not out of inquisitiveness but in order to pray and intercede.ha ha
July 25th, 2005
Coincidence? Brought a bigger monitor given by someone to the office to replace my tiny one in the office. did re- arrangement so more space in center to safeguard money counting n more space for gnk pastoral group. Mary’ s computer monitor gave her problems the day before a second time n prays, Lord need another monitor. She gets the tiny one i replaced. Coincidence or answered prayer!
Erica (australian chee keongs wife) was challenged to give a big sum to missions. Soon after that husband anthony left oil company. Now she wonders how to fulfill faith pledge. decided to trust God despite changed circumstances. Later he gets a cheque from the company but wasnt much. What blew her mind was news n cheque of big big amount from CPF. Her guardian named her as a beneficiary of his cpf money! She inherited. Coincidence or we have a great and faithful God.
Pj Andrew is due to get promoted but others got it. Grumble, grumble. Lord says, Promotion comes from me. Andrew says , Sorry Lord. Following year, same thing happens. All the hard work n consistency of performance n yet passed over for promotion. Lord says a second time, Promotion comes from me. Andrew says , Lord sorry. Then
he finally gets promoted to lieutenant Colonel. Hallelujah. And in addition to that he doesn’t have to retire at 45 n struggle to start a fresh career. Why? An govt body specifically wanted him to work for them. This means retirement at 62 on colonels pay….an offer the other colonels who got earlier promotions would have died for! . Later somebody from that organzn tells him they were eyeing him all along but waiting for the air force to promote him first before requesting specifically for his services. So coincidence or God’s invisible hands at work orchestrating timin and blessing so his own can glorify Him? Evan sceptics have to believe.
Picked up Jenny’s sister n her lovely kids from airport n had steamboat dinner at home. they’ll be staying for a week. having vacation. Elaine has to sacrifice her room. She has no problems with it. part of deal we struck with her from beginning. you have room to yourself but guests come you vacate. ha ha.
July 21st, 2005
Mondays are getting grey. I’m not used to it. Usually my wife is with me, but now she is trying out some part time work ( is she tired of this old man?). So nowadays i am usually having long breakfasts, wandering around shopping malls like a ghost seeing and not buying, catching up with old Korean and english movies, Today I was at Isetan trying to use some gift vouchers. funny thing about gift vouchers, so hard to use . its from abirthday one or two years ago i think but so hard to use. Finally i bought 2 nice G2000 shirts and 1 black pants. ( why are pants all blacks and blues and greys? dont they have other colours? i asked the salesasst. She gave me the look: you want to wear red? green? purple? huh?) . this old man dare not wear. just asking leh why cannot ask leh? Next i went to Giant and bought a fan for the church cry room. the air-con there is working but not functioning. Sometimes i am like this : working but not functioning. Hopefully it will be cooler for those who use the room. I wonder who use it nowadays. the room is working but not functioning too. TV is there but not functioning. Room is for those who are infants or toddlers to use so their cry do not distract the folks in the meeting but all the little ones are in the main hall. The only ones crying are the elders who pray there every Sunday morning with me. Even then no tears, just crying to the Lord. So cry room is maybe good name to maintain. only its for adults to cry for to the Lord for help, blessing, revival, salvation of souls.
July 18th, 2005
It has been a mixed few days. managed to complete all the notes for the Christian Beginnings course.So what is left to do is the powerpoint, the sign-ups and the actual course leading to the baptism. Lord, bring the people who need the course to be there.
A friend shared a serious problem and because i have grown to care for him, it troubled and pained me to see him and his situation suffering so. Yet I can only pray and feel the pain with him. It does cast a blue over my mood.
Was not happy today when Hyundai service centre told me that i have to come back several weeks later as the spare part was not available. minor squeaky sound in the steering wheel. wanted to get it done during warranty period.Was irritated and decided to go to seminary library and try to meet Alvin for lunch. know what it is like in first weeks of bible school: depresssing becos one after another the lecturers tell you their requirements and the amount of readings n assignments is a huge psychological mountain to climb. Had lunch with him to assure him it can be done one step at a time, one step at a time.
Lionel tells me Veira is going to Juventus. The engine is going. How can the Arsenal car move on lower capacity engines? What Arsenal needs is abigger transfer budget. Its money woes must be solved and i have the perfect solution for Arsene Wenger, a Singapore solution. When..not if…when T.T. Durai fund raiser extraordinaire resigns , Arsenal should sign him on to raise funds for thsir stadium loan rapayment and transfer budget.
On a serious note, able leadership without integrity or ‘character’ is a no-no
in most organizations (exceptions Mafia, casinos) especially non-profit ones like the church. We all plead guilty for similar failings n such things (not our salaries, tho you may be shocked if that goes public, no gold plated taps in our homes either!). God wants better from us Christian leaders. Help us, Lord Jesus.
July 14th, 2005
Just reflecting on the mission to LJ, China. It was a wonderful, revealing trip. The youths who came along were a wonderful bunch and it was fun to be with them, including the youth I was sleeping (oops, i mean, rooming) with.
Sherry was the revelation of the four. I thought i had to babysit her. Hardly heard her voice during the preparation n first two days of the trip. But slowly her personality ’slipped’. We began to hear her voice more! We teased her to death. she was such an obvious target being reserved and youngest n all. I found that she was quite adventurous -Â she ate deep-fried dragonflies and chou tofu with me Joanne and Barny. ( Sharon who I thought was the type did not perform to par, ha ha). Sherry also climbed the mountain top before us, quite fleet-footed she was! She is a person of few words, but what she says she means. Thats why her words to them.really encouraged them. She said, ” You all sacrifice lor, but we in Singapore enjoy..” It really touched them. Over at school she was quite popular with the secondaries even though her contact with them was limited. Somehow her magic worked on them so that by the time she was about to leave several were in tears.She looked fragile but she is quite strong n direct. during the group discussion she said to me, “uncle Seng, listen more, talk less”. This old man knows when he is beaten, so i stepped aside n she took over the lead and was quite good.Surprise. But nothing compared with what was to come. On the last day the team combined to give some money to S. W. n team. modest amount. But she surprised us by giving her remaining yuan (almost 90% of our total amount!) to them over and above what she contributed as a team member. I hope the Leos are not wondering where the money they gave her went. But if they do find out they should be very proud of her!
Then there was the gentle n kind-hearted, studious, conscientious n nerdy Joanne. After Kinabalu, I realized that she was quite an adventurous, daring and smart cookie. she could have been quite an influential teacher or lecturer but God knows we need somebody in URA. But this round i saw the girlish, fun-loving, impish charmer that she is. Barny was almost smitten! Almost, ha ha. Soon she will be unleashed on cold n dreary Wisconsin.
Sharon was no surprise as all along i thot she would one day be a pap mop
( p.a.p. member of parliament) who will have my history graduate son as her research assistant.ha ha.Sshe showed ease and confidence as a leader ( n Sherry’s babysitter - eat more Sherry, eat  ha ha) and every now and then i thot i caught glimpses of a female Abe Sim except that i noticed she has the calm and collected look of Hwee inn and not the’ worried man’ (Abe’s famous self-description) look of Abe. Unlike Abe, she also enjoyed the leisure, like her mom. so Sharon has gotten the best of qualities from her parent’s gene pool.(Joel, is this the right term to use?)
Then finally the youth I was rooming with…Barny. He is such a gentleman, a real ladies’ man. The kind that most women wish to have as a male friend. Calm and cool and collected and cash-rich. ha ha. He took care of the teams common cash n that was such a help for us. He was caring, considerate, careful and candid. The c’s are not deliberate. He is a Christ-like young single eligible man who has no right being single when there is such a shortage of such marriageable commodities in church. ha ha . ha ha. This is the second time we are like roomates and he revealed more about his family. I really appreciated that. the next time we room together, who knows, i may unearth the mystery of how such an eligible man stayed single for so long. Somebody please tell Denise here is someone better than the wolf!! ha ha.
( the writer takes no responsibility for any error in punctuation, spelling, or factual inaccuracies. the fault lies with the education system of the 60’s n 70’s)
July 12th, 2005
Finally i have done it.This blog, of course. Took me a few weeks because of the whys and hows and what for and do i have the time. But i have finally begun it and i feel relieved and yet apprehensive about how it will look, whether i have the stamina, whether it is worthwhile. Anyway i need to CROSS FRONTIERS!. It was a key word the Lord gave to me a few years back. Have been obeying that divine challenge to do things that fears keep me from doing and seeing myself grow as a result.
July 11th, 2005
